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Ghost of the Week: Haunted Ogden!

Oct 23rd 2011

Salt Lake magazine spent way too much time gathering ghost stories and info on local haunts for the Haunted Beehive story in the September/October issue (on stands now). We did such a good job—no way could it all fit in eight pages.

So, we’ve been posting those extras on saltlakemagazine.com. Check back weekly till Halloween for info on local haunted hotspots you won’t find in the magazine.

This week, we decided to share some of the stories we learned on the Story Tours tour of Ogden’s famous haunted hotspots. We highly recommend this tour to anyone out for a good ghost story and local history buffs. Ogden’s known as one of the most haunted cities in the country. And 25th Street has a history of illicit gambling, murders, robberies, prostitution, bootlegging, opium dens and gang wars.

Story Tours guide Eric Bolton led our tour—first on the bus, then on foot, then on the bus again.

Here's what he told us about Ogden's famous haunted places:

Ogden Union Station, 2501 Wall Ave.

Our tour was on the evening of Friday, Oct. 21, which also happened to be the night of the Zombie Crawl at Ogden Union Station—our first stop.

When the first transcontinental railroad was dedicated in 1869, trains began rolling through Ogden at a faster rate. By 1889, Ogden had a train coming through every 15 minutes and the Union Station was abuzz with passengers. It burned down in 1923, killing many, and the building that’s now the ballroom was a temporary morgue.

When it was being rebuilt, a construction worker also died.

Now, workers at the station have claimed unexplained occurrences with the plumbing—particularly in one of the lady’s bathrooms. And some say the station houses two portals to “the other side.” A flirtatious ghost, nicknamed Yehudi, has been known to mess with the alarms and touch female guests.

Roosters Brewing Co., 253 25th Street

The property has changed hands many times, and it actually sat vacant for about 40 years, but before Roosters was created in 1994, it was Judi’s Attic Antiques.

The owner brought an antique bar back to the shop and soon heard footsteps and witnessed lights and water turn on and off without any explanation. The phenomena stopped when she finally sold it. More strange things happened when she brought in an old photograph of a five-year-old boy with a ruffled shirt. The photo kept falling off the wall, and a psychic who looked at it said it’s full of spiritual energy.

When the owner took the photo home, she says she witnessed water coming from the ceiling at night, but it went away as soon as she turned the lights on. Plumbers couldn't find anything wrong.

Thomas Hardy Salon, 248 25th Street and The Athenian, 252 25th Street

Look at the windows above the salon and you’ll see six windows, but only five are accessible from the upstairs.

The famous madame Dora Topham “Belle London” owned the building and the one right next to it. The sixth window is actually connected to the building to the right—now The Athenian restaurant. The room was used by the upper-class customers of London’s prostitution business.

And for the lower-class customers? There’s a reason the alley between the buildings was named “electric alley.”

London’s front for the sex business was her ice cream parlor. Look up when you visit The Athenian, and you’ll still see the sign for London’s Ice Cream. That's why feminine ghosts seem to appear most often.

One witness claims a mysterious figure appeared in a mirror at the salon, and other figures have been seen in the basement. Supposedly, an entire family of ghosts (mom, dad and son) has been seen coming through the floorboards at The Athenian. One part of the restaurant had so much activity, it was closed off to customers.

Bistro 258, 258 25th Street

Tenants staying in the rooms above the bistro have claimed computers would turn on and off on their own. And a ghostly old man with a white collar and dark jacket has also been said to appear.

Union Station Fermentation, 274 25th Street

Belle London hated root beer. During prohibition, it’s all drinkers were left with, and she was known for throwing barrels of root beer out of this building’s top windows.

Nigel, the current owner of this building, invited the tour into his shop and told about some of his experiences—like the root beer display constantly being ruined, a clock crashing off the wall and what might be a ghostly little girl grabbing his hand. One night, his wife called him frantically saying she heard jazz music from the upstairs rooms.

Egyptian Theatre, 2415 Washington Boulevard

Once the Arlington Hotel, the building burned down in 1923, killing many.

It’s suspected one of the ghosts who died in the fire still haunts the theater. When ghost investigators asked her for her name, she said ‘I’m the keeper of the children.’ The theater’s most famous ghost is Allison, who is said to have died at the theater by falling off a scaffold when she came to bring her father, a construction worker, his lunch. Allison is usually seen in the opera boxes, carrying a lunch box.

A groundskeeper also claims to have heard unexplained sounds of children playing and laughing in the part of the cemetery known as “babyland,” where many children and infants are buried. He also says he saw a man disappear, and during a lighting storm, he spotted a black-caped figure when lightning struck a tree.

Local lore says Stephen King was inspired to write Pet Cemetery after visiting the Cemetery.

Some Others:

Olive and Dahlia, 215 25th Street
Some say tools have been found in different places then they were left when the store closed at night.